Burned at Grillin’ with the Governor?

Confrontational politics at its finest: It appears there were some fireworks at the ‘Grillin’ with the Governor’ event this weekend. Members and volunteers of Georgia Gun Owners distributed this flyer- a not-so-glowing hit piece– to BBQ connoisseurs (and presumably gun lovers) and their windshield wipers. “Nathan Deal killed pro-guns in 2013. Will he do it again in 2014?” as well as notes regarding Deal’s support of Gun Free School Zones as a Congressman.

Per the photos on the Georgia Gun Owners Facebook page, Deal staffers worked to remove and destroy many of the flyers while GGO volunteers snapped photos of the staffers and legislators alike. This sounds like the least-fun BBQ ever… (which is why you should plan on attending the Peach Pundit one on Monday.)

Removing fliers off vehicles as a staffer for a public official? Probably not a wise move and definitely not a wise decision by the person who gave the order. The best way to give an opponent a voice is to try to take that voice away.

I don’t like window fliers and will general side with whoever they attack, but I am not so keen on someone trying to stop another person’s speech.

I was wondering how long that was going to take. Assuming this is the same “Elect Pat Kelly” that urged people to tweet “I hope each of you crawl in a hole and die.” to Tim Echols, Bubba McDonald, and Debbie Dooley. You can dislike and disagree with people, but things like that are uncalled for.

Not sure if I should comment here or at the newer post. I’d like to have an AK (after I get a long list of more immediate needs paid for), and if people want to bring their guns to church, I don’t care, but I do hope there won’t be any change to the state law regarding guns in bars.

“NRA-ILA’s legislative victory stands in sharp contrast to what happened here in Colorado in March, where a flood a draconian gun control bills sailed through the Colorado legislature, and swiftly were signed into law by the Governor. So, how did two legislative battles so similar in substance, have such markedly different outcomes?

One could sum it up in two words; Dudley Brown.

. . . we know a little more about where Brown has been directing RMGO’s money, time, and energy over the years. Here’s a hint: it hasn’t been spent defending the Second Amendment.

Apparently, Mr. Brown has been (for many years) using third-party “front groups” that claim to represent hot-button social issues (like abortion and gay marriage), but in reality, are little more than direct mail operations designed to “punish” Mr. Brown’s opponents. When voters receive these last-minute attack mailers they get the impression that the candidate in question (whichever candidate Mr. Brown opposes at the time) are also opposed by a “wide spectrum” of other conservative groups. The mailers are often completely false, as with my own legislative race, where Dudley’s Beltway minions sent pieces that claimed that I was pro-gay rights and “soft” on Pro-Life issues. Anyone that knows me, knows these claims are laughable. But by then, the damage has been done.

I use the term front group intentionally because there is little evidence these groups do anything except serve as a sort of “ideological back channel,” for operators like Brown. These “groups” have no real influence of their own (at either the state or federal level), they produce no publications of any substance (either in the policy or legislative arena), and their money (and direction) comes primarily from other conservative groups seeking to use them as “cover” for their electioneering (excuse me “voter education”) activities.
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